zesty_pinto | In Other News

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You know myspace has got it bad when even CNN comments on the issues there. Are you guys really sure about signing up for it? o_O

I guess I wouldn't feel so off-kilter about it if I didn't know someone that actually was raped from someone she met off that blog site. Now, I'm sure it won't be as bad for the rest of you folks since she was pretty much within that young age group, but I also know that this surprises the hell out of me since I know she's relatively careful, too, with respects to how I've seen her deal with men (including me) and from her already tumultuous family life.

I don't know, there's also that idea of meeting people on a site that's more tailored towards getting the reputation of unknown bands out there for the public, and if you do it for that then it's cool, but I also know that some people try it to look for other people.

Offering the two cents of concern, folks, don't take it personally.

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A lot of people are on myspace for reasons other than hooking up, especially those of us already in relationships ;). A lot of people use it to reconnect. I suspect its schools function is what prompted the addition of the schools function on LJ, but LJ doesn't show actual pictures of people. With myspace, you can look people up by school and grad year, see their picture and KNOW who you've found. I've found some old friends from high school and college, my cousin Sara, and my cousin Katie. I even found I guy I knew at boarding school in England.

Yeah, but... aren't there two other sites out there that also do that same function? Facebook seems like the most popular thing for most college students these days, and in their defense someone from elementary school caught me there.

I've never even heard of Facebook, but Myspace is advertised everywhere. A lot of celebs have pages there....plus the unknown and known bands. My favorite radio station DJs have pages. It's fun in its way.

Facebook is the one all my friends in college used, if not to find someone from the past, then to find someone that shares your coursework to ask for help on.

I'll agree on myspace though. Though I can't help but find it questionable.

It's a strange situation. I would only meet someone like that in a public place and preferably with other people. Of course, I actually met Suzanne in Planet Out lesbian chat when my relationship (at the time) was ending (should have ended long before), and I was looking for friends. She was in a relationship, but she was unhappy. We became friends. Finally, when we were single, we decided to start dating. We spoke on the phone for at least an hour a day...and virtually non-stop on the weekends (except to sleep). By the time I flew from St. Louis to California, I felt confident in who she was. We'd been talking for about 2 months at that point.

I have a group of online friends I am very close with as well (several of whom are on LJ like

andamaroo and

b5merlyn), but we all met in groups the first time and slept on the floor of

abercromb's apartment. Of course, I drove up there with one of the guys who had also lived in St. Louis and could well have been a hatchet murderer, but we'd socialized some before we made the trip.

People have been meeting online (for love and/or friendship) for years. I'm not sure why myspace seems to be so different...maybe BECAUSE of the popularity. At least one woman was allegedly killed by a guy she met there. I suspect it's because people are using it so much like a free dating service and assuming that because the person has so many friends, they must be safe. Perhaps it provides a false sense of security. Whereas, in the chat room where I hung out, we were pretty cautious unless the person involved had already met others of the group.

I'm a little out of the dating loop and don't expect to be in it again... unless and until Suzanne passes away. She's heavier but healthier and hardier than I am, so I could well go first despite our age difference. I've also never been very mainstream. I almost never meet someone I'd actually like to get involved with. I did move a lot in school, and I repeated that pattern in my adulthood to some degree. That's the big reason myspace appeals to me. I have lost touch with so many people over the years.

you can also use classmates.com or reunion.com to find people from your schools

1. These predators have existed long before the world wide web was popularized, most of this coverage plays into a latent technophobia that exists in the majority of people.

2. The fact that CNN is covering myspace could be slightly profit motivated, as myspace is now owned by one of their competitors. Call me cynical, but profit is the #1 motivating factor for the mainstream media. Sensationalism pays the bills.

3. I have a myspace account, as well as this LJ account, and a facebook account. Myspace is definitely good for promoting music, it's also good for Schadenfreude purposes, and indeed it's good for reconnecting with people that you've lost touch with. I also met my girlfriend through an online dating site, but I wouldn't use a free service for these purposes.

Disclaimer: Strangely enough, I now work for the company that owns myspace, but my job doesn't directly deal with it.

Yeah, I know there's always been that issue, but this article certainly seems to suggest there's been quite a scale of it that I didn't think was this bad.

I didn't know about #2, though I do agree on the profit angle.

I can't believe a dating site actually worked for you. Then again, I also remember your girls come and go once every so year.

I've made some really good friends on myspace, and a lot of aquaintances, but I never put myself out there or tried to use it as a dating site. I also don't have my picture plastered all over my profile. I use it as a place for my artwork to be seen, and to network with other artists.

I think that people get too personal on myspace, not realizing just how much they are putting it out there for strangers to see. There are definitely sharks out there, and they know what to look for in their victims.

All the same, I enjoy using myspace and don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the concept of it.Besides, how many people have been raped by people they've met in person without the aid of myspace, like at a bar, or through mutual friends? Its not the website, its the bad people that need to be avoided, and they are everywhere!

i totally agree with you on this one. i'd like to add that it's important to treat myspace just like a dating site if that's how one is going to use it. people think that because it's not billed as a dating/hook-up site, that these strangers are gonna be friends, but it's just not the case. meeting anyone from any site on the internet is dangerous, because one has no idea who they're dealing with.

i love myspace because it enables me to keep in touch with my friends from all over the world. it's more used than friendster, which i actually like better, however. i never accept "friends" requests from people i don't know, unless they are librarians from one of the lirbarian groups to which i belong. i think myspace is just like any other site -- chaotic, and necesitates careful attention.

Thanks for the concerns. and I'm not taking this personally. But let me offer my two cents. which might anger some people, but oh well.

First off, I only have people on there that I actually know and talk to. My RL friends, so to speak, and two LJ friends that I have known for years and years. I'm also the type of person who doesn't normally 'meet' with my online friends. I had one bad experience meeting someone online, and I just won't do it again. (as far as dating goes, I mean)

And I'm sorry, but parents need to monitor what they're kids are doing online. That is what parental controls and passwords are for. A website shouldn't get into trouble because people aren't responsible. (and I don't mean this in any way dealing with your friend's horrible experience-I feel awful for her)

How is myspace supposed to deal with all the people? You don't see AOL getting in trouble because of kids meeting older people in their chatrooms, right? It's the same exact thing!

When I was a kid, my mom and dad knew what I was doing every single day. What games I was playing, movies I was watching, etc. What the hell is going on today? When I was 12 years old I still wasn't allowed to go to the movies with my friends! I know times are different now, but I really don't understand why myspace is catching all the flak.

sorry for the mini-rant. I'm done now, honest.

:p

It's all right, I'm curious on people's outlook on this. Ironically, in her case her parents aren't very... model parents. Actually, from what I've been noting, she seems to take the more responsible role for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ_dam5DmsM&eurl=

Haw! Wall of Humor'd.

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